Essi Avellan: Medium-deep lemon. Nose is strong, pungent, in-your-face. More of a still, oaked Chardonnay than a Champagne. Super-strong palate, also dominated by oak. Underneath, there is sweet, vanilla-laden fruitiness in opulence. Shame the oak overpowers it. 14

Andrew Jefford: Mid yellow-gold, with steady mousse. Fresh, pristine apple fruit; with a little oak thickening? On the palate, a rather insistent wine; not hugely subtle, but generous and broad in the beam. Good-quality fruit nonetheless, and there is much to enjoy here. 15.5

Tom Stevenson: Cedary oak is quite dominant, and the terpene-like fruit would make me think of 2008, if the acids were higher. Not that the acids are low: They are just right. A very distinctive Champagne that could have been all the greater if not for the oxidative hint. Very good nonetheless. 17.5